The 2019 veto session wrapped up this week and the IEA had several big victories for public education and public unions, including around the issues of collective bargaining rights, paraprofessional certification and individualized education programs (IEPs) reporting requirements.
SB 1784 protects the privacy of public employees, affirms collective bargaining rights and clarifies dues deduction procedures. SB 1784 passed both legislative chambers and now heads to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk for his signature. This legislation is a victory for all union members and public employees in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2018 ruling in the Janus v. AFSCME case, which overturned 40 years of settled collective bargaining law.
SB 10 re–establishes a pathway for paraprofessional candidates to gain licensure through taking a test of basic skills (WorkKeys) coupled with having earned a high school diploma. During the spring session, SB 1952 erroneously eliminated this pathway for candidates. SB 10 passed both chambers this week and will be sent to the Governor.
SB 460 pushes the implementation date for three-day reporting requirements for student IEP meetings to July 1, 2020. This will allow school districts, school staff and parents time to determine the proper procedures and resources needed in order to best educate students in need of an IEP. SB 460 passed both chambers this week and will be sent to the Governor.
